John Conyers’ retirement causes family feud over his district seat

Conyers' seat is now up for grabs, and his son and nephew both want it

Dec 6, 2017

Rep. John Conyers‘ resignation on Tuesday has left an open seat in Michigan, and his family members are now feuding over it.

Conyers himself announced his support for his son, John Conyers III, 27. However, his grand-nephew, Ian Conyers, 29, also wants to run for the seat.

“The difference between the son and the grand-nephew is the fact that Ian is actually an elected senator in the state of Michigan,” said pollster Ed Sarpolus, executive director of consulting firm Target Insyght, who also served as Conyers’ campaign manager in 2012.

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“His son, John, has always expressed interest in replacing his dad, and he’s made it publicly known on many occasions even before Ian came onto the scene. There’s no way that John Conyers would be able to say no to his son.”

What’s more, Sarpolus said, there simply aren’t the funds for Conyers to send his son to office.

“John Conyers financially is broke, so there’s really no money he’s going to be able to supply,” Sarpolus said. “I don’t see where John has any political leverage financially.”

According to the New York Post, Conyers never wanted to retire or resign in the first place and intended to die while he was still holding office. However, as accusations of sexual misconduct have continued to mount against him, he has been forced to step down, leaving an open seat and a scrap among his family members.